ASROC

Encyclopedia : A : AS : ASR : ASROC

An older "Matchbox" ASROC launcher, phased out in the 1990s

ASROC (for Anti-Submarine ROCket) is an antisubmarine missile system, developed by the United States Navy, and installed on over 200 surface ships, generally cruisers and destroyers. A surface ship, patrol plane or antisubmarine helicopter first detects an enemy submarine by using sonar, relaying the range and bearing information to the attacking ship who then fires an ASROC missile, which has a torpedo or depth charge on the tip, toward the target. Once the missile's rocket motor stops firing, the torpedo breaks away and a parachute slows it down until it enters the water. The torpedo's motor then activates and the torpedo, which is guided by its own sonar system, homes in on the target and explodes. (Alternatively, if the missile is instead equipped with a depth charge, it merely sinks to a predetermined depth and then explodes.) An ASROC missile can carry either a 10 kiloton W44 nuclear warhead or conventional explosive, although the W44 nuclear depth charges were phased out by 1989.

The first ASROC system (RUR-5), using the MK-112 "Matchbox" launcher, was developed in the 1950s and installed in the 1960s. This system was phased out in the 1990s and replaced with the RUM-139 Vertical Launch ASROC, or "VLA".

Launch of a Vertical Launch ASROC

The VLA missile is a rocket-propelled, three-stage, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed for deployment on Ticonderoga-class cruisers, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and Spruance-class destroyers equipped with the MK41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) and MK 116 fire control system. The VLA missile provides the fleet with the capability for rapid response, all weather delivery of a MK 46 torpedo against threat submarines in any direction at intermediate ranges. VLA missiles were introduced into the fleet in 1993 as a baseline weapon for the cruisers and destroyers equipped with the Aegis combat system and as a replacement for the ASROC weapon on Spruance-class destroyers when the original ASROC launchers were replaced by the MK 41 VLS.

VLA missiles were first introduced with the MK 46 torpedo as its payload (RUM139A). In 1996 an upgrade was implemented to allow the enhanced shallow-water capable MK 46 to be incorporated as the VLA missile payload (RUM139B). VLA missiles are delivered to the fleet as All-Up-Rounds (AURs) which consist of the VLA missile installed inside of a MK15 VLS canister. VLA missiles have two basic fleet configurations, Warshot and Exercise. VLA Warshot missiles contain a MK46 warshot torpedo. VLA Exercise missiles contain an exercise torpedo, and are used for fleet exercise firings.

General characteristics of the VLA

• Primary Function: Surface Launched Missile, Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon.
• Contractor: Lockheed Martin, Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems of Akron, Ohio (formerly Loral Defense Systems, formerly Goodyear Aerospace).
• Unit cost: Approximately $350,000 (less torpedo payload).
• Power plant: Solid propellant rocket motor.
• Length:
• * Warshot: 16 ft 0.6 in (4.892 m)
• * Exercise: 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m)
• Weight:
• * Warshot: 1407 lb (638 kg)
• * Exercise: 1377 lb (615 kg)
• Diameter: 16.6 in (422 mm)
• Wing Span: 26 7/8 in (683 mm)
• Range: 28 km (15 nm)
• Guidance system: Inertial Guidance
• Warhead: Mark 46 torpedo, 100 lb (45 kg) of PBXN-103 high explosive
• Date Deployed: 1993 (RUM139A); 1996 (RUM139B)

See also

• SUBROC
• Ikara: An Australian missile (1960s - 1990s) using the same principles.
• Sea Lance

List of missiles

Air-to-air missile (AAM) | Air-to-surface missile (ASM) | Surface-to-air missile (SAM) | Surface-to-surface missile (SSM) Ballistic missile | Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) | Submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) | Anti-ballistic missile (ABM) Cruise missile | Anti-ship missile (AShM) | Anti-submarine Rocket (ASROC) | Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) | Anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) | Anti-radiation missile Wire-guided missile | Infrared guidance | Beam riding | Laser guidance | Active radar guidance | Semi-active radar guidance

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.